Identity is tied to everything you do, but your identity is strewn among multiple organizations and applications. Even if you're lucky enough to have a regularly accepted identity, it can be at risk.
Microsoft believes the user needs to be in control with a digital identity the individual owns and securely store the elements which make up proof of who they are. This needs to be seamlessly integrated across one's life and provide complete control.
The need for a self-sovereign, personally controlled identity lies not only with the 1+ billion people who still do not have a formal identification, but even from Microsoft's customers. As organizations look at the impacts of GDPR and the need to put users in control of their information, Microsoft needs to provide solutions which allow this to transpire in a trusted and secure manner.
In our approach, Microsoft has supported multiple areas of engagement. First is the open standards development through the Decentralized Identity Foundation. Open standards allow for a diverse ecosystem of identity providers to securely exchange information without creating an environment leading to technical lock-in. The future of identity should not be owned or dictated by any singular or cabal of organizations. Also, we support the work of ID2020 which sponsors digital identity solutions for nonprofits and providers with a robust monitoring and evaluation framework, ensuring the most vulnerable people in the world are provided safe and secure services.
Please join us for a discussion on how Microsoft has approached the future of digital identity and how ID2020 provides resources for those organizations wishing to deploy digital identification in a responsible manner.
Dakota Gruener is the executive director of ID2020, a public-private partnership working to ensure that everyone on the planet has access to a digital identity. As executive director, she leads overall strategy, builds critical partnerships with public and private-sector stakeholders, and continually focuses the organization on reaching the last girl. Gruener comes to ID2020 from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, where she served as an aide-de-camp to the CEO. She graduated magna cum laude from Brown University in Providence, RI with dual degrees in Biology and Political Science, is a former management consultant with Oliver Wyman, and a proud Californian.
Ankur Patel leads Growth for Identity at Microsoft. In recent times, he has led the effort for connecting LinkedIn, the worlds leading professional graph and Office 365, the worlds leading productivity graph. Currently, Ankur leads Microsofts efforts for a new form of identity for users to own and control their identity and associated data, powered with technology provided by Microsoft to empower everyone to achieve more.
